


fair weather out of the north

by Zsazsa4



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Anal Sex, Class Differences, Face Slapping, M/M, how many hanging offences can tozer commit in one day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26142628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zsazsa4/pseuds/Zsazsa4
Summary: They’d extricated themselves from layers of scarves so that their breath wouldn’t freeze as they talked. Little had edged himself close to ask the question on his mind; now he looked around surreptitiously, fearing they appeared suspicious although it would never occur to anyone that there might be anything untoward.
Relationships: Lt Edward Little/Sgt Solomon Tozer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	fair weather out of the north

‘Forget how cold it is until I’m out here again. Every fucking - excuse me, sir, every watch you think, well, I know it’s bastard cold but you’ve already forgotten what the cold is like. In my experience, anyway.’

‘Standing still won’t help.’

‘No, Captain always says that, but it’s hard to do anything else.’

They’d extricated themselves from layers of scarves so that their breath wouldn’t freeze as they talked. Little had edged himself close to ask the question on his mind; now he looked around surreptitiously, fearing they appeared suspicious although it would never occur to anyone that there might be anything untoward. It was bitterly, curiously strange, to have to consult Sergeant Tozer on a general breakdown of morale and discipline, and to have to do it in such a sneaking underhand way, but there it was and it couldn’t be helped.

‘Can I speak candidly, Lieutenant?’

‘You may.’

‘Of course everyone’s slacking and shirking. Now, not too much, because no one wants to die neither so there's a bit of work to be doing and care to be paid, but no one’s much disposed to snap to attention and act smart. Most of all now there’s barely a man on the ship, and I’m damned if I know what there is to do about that,’ Tozer said. ‘You can’t be surprised, what with what’s going on in the Great Cabin. There’s talk going around that it might not be a malarial recurrence, and it’s for the best if you don’t ask me who’s repeating it because you'll have a sight more flogging to be done.’

‘I see,’ he said. How could they not know. Why else was the ship near deserted. ‘Yes, that was candid.’ 

‘Yeah, they call him -’

‘Don’t tell me that,’ Little said quickly. Then he couldn’t stop himself. ‘What do they call me?’

‘I shouldn’t tell you that either.’ He might have smiled, just a touch, but Little couldn’t be sure. ‘Not as bad as what they call some of the others.’

‘And you?’

‘That’s an easy one, you must be able to guess that. I’ll give you a clue, cheer you up,’ he said, moving his gloved hand lubriciously, over the barrel of his rifle. ‘When you get in off watch and you’re alone in your room you -’

‘All right, thank you, Sergeant.’

‘No trouble, sir.’

He laughed, despite himself. He enjoyed Tozer’s nonsense, sometimes, in the right mood. ‘You know, I think we know each other well enough to use our given names.’

‘Well, someone might hear. It'd be a bit peculiar.’

‘When no one can hear.’

Tozer smiled to himself for a second, eyed Little. ‘You are a daft sod, aren't you. 30 below and you’re still desperate to drop your trousers.’

He stood quite still, had to close his eyes to brace against the currents of rage and humiliation coursing through him.

‘Hey, hey,’ Tozer said, alarmed. ‘What's all this?’ His evident surprise was too much to take, proof of his own fraying self-discipline and the ways that he had allowed Tozer to take liberties that undermined his position. Encouraged him to. Worse, how Little himself had personally taken advantage of the disorder that threatened to envelop them.

‘For God’s sake,’ he snapped, ‘why do you always have to presume? Why can’t you just - stop pushing and be satisfied?’ He had to exert himself to remain reasonable, rebuking rather than angry.

‘No one likes an NCO,’ Tozer said, looking off at the ice at an angle. Morose or mocking, he couldn’t tell. ‘Specially not a red herring. Unless he’s polishing your gun.’

Overtaken by their conversation’s nightmarish progression, wishing they could just be silent, Little made his voice as contemptuous, as patrician as he could. ‘Is it so hard, really, Sergeant, is it so impossible for you to know your place and stick to it?’

Tozer took hold of his wrist, hard, on the edge of hurting. ‘Mind what you say, you stupid bitch. I won’t have that from you,’ he said, quiet enough that no one else on deck could have guessed. Then he let go and leaned back, composed. But Little was taken aback by his casual brutality. Worse than that, he was queasily aroused, heated at the base of his stomach. He wondered if that was how Tozer treated his women. What Tozer might have done had they not been easily observed.

He forced himself to stay where he was. It occurred to him that everyone might know about this association as well; the thought was less distressing than he might have imagined but hardly pleasant. Then he had to say, ‘There is only so far you can go, even between the two of us. Is that clear?’

‘Yes, sir. Quite clear,’ Tozer said, eyes down, with his customary maddening retreat into sullen insolence. ‘I’ll take a turn about the deck, then.’ 

‘Yes, quite. Good to keep warm.’ 

He collected himself as Tozer wrapped his face up and trudged off into the darkness. They both knew it: he could not report Tozer or put him on a charge. For this or for anything. Every kind gesture from an officer to a man was ghosted by the blow not given, that could descend quick, unexpected and inarguable. But his kindnesses to Tozer, if you could term them that, had entirely exceeded what was in his power to give. From the start the thing had been a mistake, but it was turning out to be enormously worse than he'd expected. He had not been blind to it, had taken each step which threatened to plunge him into a chasm knowingly, willingly. He had simply enjoyed it too much to stop. Tozer’s authority over Little, on the other hand, was a rough grip at the scruff of the neck. And he knew, with pleasure and dread, that they had not stumbled into that crevasse yet.

***

He didn't usually like to be face to face with Tozer, during. He wanted to ignore him, probably, think of someone else or else pretend there was no one else at all, and in the main Tozer couldn't care less because he got what he wanted. But now he made the lieutenant lie on his back, look at him. Didn't bother to take his clothes off yet, although he was sweating from the change in temperature, only unbuttoned his jacket.

‘A little more haste wouldn't go amiss,’ the lieutenant said.

‘Oh, well, I wouldn't want to presume.’ Tozer said. 

‘For God's sake. I'm sorry I said it.’

Tozer considered. He didn’t look all that sorry; hardly contrite, even jolted out of his usual cow-eyed misery. ‘You liked that up there,’ Tozer said, holding the lieutenant’s hips tight, maybe tight enough to bruise. 

‘I don't - It was disgraceful.’ 

‘Liar.’

‘It was an offensive and perfectly thickheaded -’

Tozer gave him a light slap across the face, not hard enough to really hurt but enough to pink him up a touch. They both froze. Tozer was for a moment terrified that he'd gone too far, striking a superior officer. Then Little let out a shaky breath, lips parted. ‘You do like it,’ Tozer said, sourly delighted. ‘I should have known, all you lot want to be knocked about in bed.’ As they did the knocking about outside of it. ‘You deserved that and all.’ 

‘God, you are a brute,’ Little said, voice only distantly interested but his hands reaching up to Tozer’s chest.

‘There we go,’ Tozer said, ‘that's how you’ve been wanting it.’ It was good to have it out in the clear, what they thought of each other. ‘Now shut up and I’ll give it to you.’

He pushed Little back onto the hard bunk when he made to turn over, pushed his legs further apart as the lieutenant blinked up at him, open-mouthed and fairly pliant, for him. Tozer gripped the hastily shaven skin - not so neat, now, as it had been - at his mouth and chin hard as he dared and then harder. Colour high on his cheeks and breath coming quickly, the lieutenant braced himself for another slap, but Tozer had had enough of that game. A good bit of spit, his thumb and a finger made Little clutch at the bedlinen, mouth open and brow furrowed, face crumpled up and eyes tight shut. ‘Oh, God,’ he said. ‘Like that.’

‘Flat on your back and legs spread like any country tart, and you still want to give orders,’ he said, lining himself up, head of his prick against Little’s hole. 

‘I’m not - I’m asking,’ he started, then bit his lip as Tozer pushed in, in earnest. He drove in deep as Little shook underneath him, levered himself up to look at him, neck and a sliver of dark-haired chest bared. Little gasped, clearly trying his best not to groan or whimper. Oh, fuck it, Tozer thought, I shall do this how I want. He leant down and kissed him, licked into his mouth. At any other time it would have earnt him a look of mild disgust but Little was less strained and taut than usual.

At last, of course, Little pulled away, buried his face in the joint at Tozer’s neck and shoulder, breathing hard and then he came all over himself with a pretty little whine. Well, that was enough to do it, the feel of him almost trembling beneath him. Lovely, lovely, the heat and taut feeling in the pit of his belly. He levered himself off Little, tucked himself away, propped himself up at the head of the bunk. It was enough to satisfy him but apparently not the lieutenant who was worrying away at his lip, brow furrowed.

‘I’ve - I oughn’t be taking advantage of my command this way.’

It wasn’t as if his scruples ever stopped him doing it, just had him mithering afterwards. ‘Don’t see where the advantage is. You hardly had to talk us round.’

‘That isn’t it,’ Little said, finally. ‘We aren't just men to each other,’ 

That was enough to make him see red again. ‘You made that clear earlier. Brute, was it. I’m a man, never fear. Is an officer not, sir, it is sir I'm to call you, isn't it?’

‘You know that isn’t -’

‘What do you think you're in command of? The ship's a corpse being squeezed to pieces. We’ve no captain, or none fit -’

‘Stop,’ Little said tightly, ‘stop. If you finish that sentence I’ll haul you up and have you charged with sedition. I mean that and I don’t care what you might say at your court martial.’

He eyed Little. He might do it, at that. He might not, but it wasn’t worth finding out. ‘Isn't just me breaking the regulations, is it,’ he said, petulant. Better to back down, he’d committed enough hanging offences that evening as it was. 

‘Evidently not,’ Little said, straightening himself out, getting himself presentable again. ‘Look, I - we're all under a lot of strain at the moment, I don't blame you for saying something you don't mean. Only you have to be more careful. About who might hear.’

And that was true - that the two of them could never be alone. And if they could be alone, could never speak without yards of service-issued fabric and gold braid and piles of books and papers and ledgers of pounds and shillings muffling them. It was stupid, to imagine that they could be just two men anywhere, because there wasn't anywhere like that and if there were then they wouldn't be the same men or maybe men at all. He knew it, of course, and there was nothing to do but shrug it off easy. ‘All right,’ Tozer said, ‘not a peep out of me.’

‘I do - I do appreciate your candidness, Sergeant, and I appreciate that I asked you to be candid, but -’ 

‘No need, I understand. I shall keep myself in hand from now on.’ 

Little blinked at him, clearly wondering if he intended what he'd just said. The look on his face almost made Tozer laugh as he ventured out of the cabin. No use getting reckless now, but that would be a hell of a court martial. They'd talk about that one for years. It was enough to put a bit of a spring back in his step. There'd be enough time for dust and ashes after.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the Book of Job, sorry, I can't help myself.
> 
> [Come talk to me on tumblr, @roaringgirl](https://roaringgirl.tumblr.com)


End file.
